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This extremely rare piece is a set of 28 glass tiles, 6 of which have a low relief carved dragon design. These 28 superb pieces date to the late Han Dynasty, circa 1st-2nd century A.D., and are all approximately 2.25 inches wide, by 1.75 inches high, by 1/8 inch thick. These pieces are also mint condition, with no cracks or chips, and are in their natural "as found" condition. These extremely rare tiles all have a hole in each corner, which allowed these tiles to be joined together into a burial suit that covered the entire body. The intact Han Dynasty burial suits found to date are made from Jade, and a jade suit was extremely labor intensive and extremely expensive to create, and only royalty and wealthy aristocrats could afford to be buried in them. Jade was considered by the Han as having properties that promoted immortality, and jade was a symbol of wealth and power. Glass objects imported into China, as early as the 5th century B.C., were also held in high esteem, and glass has many properties that are analogous to jade, including both materials being translucent. The glass burial tiles offered here are also very analogous to the jade burial tiles in size, form, and design. Burial suit remains have been found in a few wooden-chambered burials from the late West Han Dynasty. The extremely rare glass plaques from these finds come in different shapes, with rectangular being the most common. Some of these rectangular pieces have perforations in 4 corners, indicating that they were strung together to form a protective burial suit. Other plaques are often decorated with molded patterns, and all the glass plaque shapes have jade counterparts, suggesting that glass burial suits were a cheaper alternative to jade burial suits. The importation of glass into China created the impetus for the production of indigenous glass, and the earliest archaeological evidence for glass production in China comes from the Zhou Dynasty, circa 1046 B.C.-221 B.C., and the Chinese learned to manufacture glass comparably later than the Mesopotamians and Egyptians. During the Han period, circa 206 B.C.-220 A.D., the use of glass diversified, and glass casting during this period encouraged the production of molded objects, such as the glass burial tiles offered here. The glass objects from the Warring States and Han Dynasty periods vary greatly in chemical composition from the imported glass objects, as they contain very high levels of barium oxide (BaO) and lead (PbO). The Chinese glass tiles tested average 40.37 % lead and 21.49 % barium, and this Chinese "lead-barium" glass tradition is very different than the "soda-lime-silica" glasses of Western Asia and Mesopotamia. See Kerr and Wood, Ceramic Technology: In Science and Civilization in China, Vol. 5, Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Cambridge University Press, 2004, pp. 474-477. The high content of barium carbonate as an ingredient in this Han glass may have been used as a flux to lower the melting point of the glass, and/or to alter the opacity of the glass, thus giving it a jade-like appearance. A broken unmounted half of a glass burial tile is included, along with the mounted 28 burial tiles, and one can see the inner layers of the tile. (See attached photo.) High magnification of the inner edge of this broken tile reveals a white layer at each inner edge that resembles witherite, which is a mineral form of barium carbonate. The "as found" patina seen on the outer surface of these superb pieces is light brown to dark gray, and there are several spotty dark black burial deposits. The low relief molded dragon designs seen on six of the tiles are also protective figurines, that protected the body and the spirit "Po" of the deceased. The ancient Chinese thought that each person had two souls that coexisted, and the "Hun" soul was thought to depart the body through the head of the departed into the next life, and the "Po" soul was thought to remain living inside the body and tomb. The ancient Chinese glass and jade burial suits were created to accommodate this aspect of the ancient Han Dynasty ideology, as the burial suits would keep the "Po" happily living inside the body. These glass plaque Han Dynasty burial tiles are extremely rare on the market, and would make an important addition to any ancient glass collection, as well as any Asian art collection. These pieces are custom mounted with brown thread on a brown linen padded cloth backing, that is approximately 10.5 inches wide by 14 inches high, and is easily hung for display. Ex: Robert Ellsworth collection. Ex: Jeff Shore collection. Ex: Private New York collection. I certify that this piece is authentic as to date, culture, and condition:
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